cruiser
Well-Known Member
Moparites: First, thanks to all who responded to my post yesterday regarding what to do about removing the paint overspray from my engine compartment. There were many good suggestions there. I've hit on a winning combination that I'd like to share with the Mopar world. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the engine compartment of my 1974 Duster was full of overspray from a 1988 body repaint in it's original color - JY9 Tahitian Gold Metallic. By 2021, the crud that covered the inner fenders, firewall and radiator core support was a mixture of primer, paint, rust, oil and some other unidentifiable stuff. But it was mostly JY9 paint. I tried many of the suggestions offered, but what really worked well was the following. I got a box of 3M 1200 grit polishing sponges and a container of Turtle Wax heavy duty cleaning rubbing compound. I dipped the sponge in the compound and hit the crud with firm pressure in a circular motion, and it started coming off immediately. The combination of the 1200 grit and the compound proved to be exactly what was needed to do the job. It was very satisfying to see the crud coming up as I rubbed, revealing the virgin 48 year old factory finish! After wiping up the residue, I hit it with 3M polishing compound and then finished the job with a coat of Meguiar's cleaning wax. Yeah, it's a lot of hard rubbing and elbow grease, so I'm limiting myself to one panel per day so that I don't burn out doing it. I did the right inner fender this afternoon. Tomorrow will be the firewall. The accompanying photos show the inner fender before cleaning, then after cleaning with some paint touch up, and finally the products that I used. Here's what I tried that didn't work: A clay bar, lacquer thinner, liquid rubbing compound, and 600 grit sandpaper. I hope this helps all my friends that have a similar problem. As always, it seems that experimentation and innovation eventually lead to the outcome that you want. A final note to those who recommended removing the engine and repainting the engine compartment. That's a good idea but I try as much as I can to retain any factory original paint on the car. I know that I could create a perfect, beautiful paint job in there but I really wanted to keep the original workmanship of the Plymouth factory painter who likely died many years ago. But that's just me, and I can see the argument either way. In any case, give this a try sometime and let everyone know how it works. Thanks - cruiser
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